My views
on firearms ownership is well known at this point, especially after my last post, but I still get questions regarding my other political
views. These queries have become more frequent lately given the political
climate in which we currently find ourselves. Many of my views come down to the
simple facts of limited government and personal responsibility. We don’t need to
legislate everything and I am not promoting the legalization or banning of
anything that I discuss below. In the end we all have different view and the
power should remain with the people which brings me to my first topic… same sex
marriage.
Frankly,
I don’t care who you want to marry but this should not be a federal issue. The
local courts and states are the ones who issue marriage licenses and that is
where it should stay. That being said, regardless of local guidelines, benefits
should be extended to partners as it pertains to federally run agencies such as
the IRS. And, as it pertains to benefits available to family members, that
decision should be left in the hands of the employer or benefits provider.
However, one point I want to be very clear about is that those who vilify
people for disagreeing with them should take a really close look at themselves
in the mirror. This can be said about another insulting accusation being
bandied about… racist.
I am
someone who doesn’t care what race you are, I care about the person you are. A
disagree with many people not because of their race but because of their views.
At the same time, I respect their opinion so long as they respect mine. And
just because I don’t believe in your world view or support everything President
Obama has to say doesn’t make me a racist. Is there racism in this country?
Yes, without a doubt but understand that racism is not limited to a one sided
equation. In the same vein, sexism, ageism, antisemitism, and many other kinds
of isms are all prevalent in the world.
Modern
day racism is multicultural in that demeaning practices are applied against
those of every race. The two things that immediately come to mind are
profiling, which does negatively impact those who are not white, and
affirmative action, which negatively impacts those who are white. Like it or
not, racism is a two way street. Speaking of two way streets, many of the
government programs that have been preached about over the last few years are
nothing more than ways to get us all to pay a little bit more every month.
Universal
healthcare is a failure, forcing many to pay exorbitant rates, limiting full
time positions, and putting undue financial pressure on businesses and citizens
alike. I personally know people who had their hours cut to just below the 30
hour limit, people told they make too much money to qualify despite being
unemployed, and those forced to pay outrageous deductibles. And, of course, it
has done nothing to slow the rise of premiums. In fact, each month it seems as
though there is more and more taken out of my paycheck.
One of
the things that I try not to think about when I look at my paycheck is how much
I would be making if I converted my salary to an hourly rate. I make a decent
salary but also work a lot of hours. In the end, there are some months when it
breaks down to about $15 per hour. I work hard for that money and I have the
motivation, drive, and work ethic to improve my life. Someone should not be
starting at the local McDonald's, without motivation, without aspirations, and
expect to earn the same amount of money. Stop expecting to be paid a wage that
is not commensurate with the position! If you want to make more money put forth
the effort, improve your life, and stop expecting others to do everything for
you.
There
has been a lot of news this year about another waste of money, Planned
Parenthood. While many of the practices are barbaric and even heinous, there
are valuable services that they do provide to many communities but it should
not be funded by tax payer dollars. I previously held the belief that life
begins at conception and now being a father and going to all the appointments
prior to my son’s birth I am certain of that view. I believe that abortion is
wrong and I would not support it but, at the same time, I do not believe that I
should tell others what to do. All I am saying is that I don’t want to pay for
something I am so adamantly against.
As for
government programs in general and specifically as it pertains to welfare and
unemployment, I believe that there is a place for those programs and many
people should receive that support. I know that unemployment helped me a few
years ago. However, I believe that drug testing should be required in order to
receive funds and unemployment should be limited to those actively searching
for a job. I agree with offering support to those trying to do the right thing
and I would even support doing more to help those individuals but we should not
blindly hand out money to everyone regardless of their efforts.
And when
it comes to benefits they should be limited to citizens of this country. We are
a country laden with tremendous debt and can ill afford supporting those who
won’t even take the time to come into this country legally. The immigration
system it undoubtedly flawed but it is the law and those who do not follow
disregard these guidelines should be treated as any other criminal who breaks
the law. There needs to be a better semblance of control of those coming into
this country and we should know who is crossing our borders.
While by
no means comprehensive, these paragraphs do offer opinions on a broad range of
topics. I don’t expect everyone to agree but I don’t expect everyone to
disagree either. And if you really want to make sure that something changes or
stays the same it is a rather simple process… make sure you vote! The options
aren’t great but it is what we have to work with right now. Vote for whom you
agree with most but, more importantly, know where you stand on the issues
without relying on the opinions of others. Of course, bring your ID because
this uncertain, unrestrained, and illegal free for all has got to stop… I
wonder who Reagan voted for in the last election.
